Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai stands up in hospital

A schoolgirl who was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in Pakistan has been
able to stand up and communicate freely with medical staff, according to Dr
David Rosser.

1:53PM BST 19 Oct 2012

Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital said the bullet which struck Malala Yousafzai just above her left eye had grazed the edge of her brain.

Speaking outside, Dr Rosser, the hospital's medical director, told reporters: "It's clear that Malala is not out of the woods yet.

"Having said that, she is doing very well. In fact she was standing with some help for the first time this morning when I went in to see her."

Dr Rosser added: "Malala is keen that I thank people for their support and their interest because she is obviously aware of the amount of interest and support this has generated around the world."

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which cares for soldiers with gunshot injuries flown back to the UK from Afghanistan, said earlier that Malala had spent a fourth "comfortable" night in Britain and was being assessed by specialist consultants.

The teenager, who was attacked after promoting the education of girls and criticising Taliban militants, was initially treated by neurosurgeons at a Pakistani military hospital before being flown to the UK.

She was shot with two classmates as they made their way home from school in north-west Pakistan, in what Foreign Secretary William Hague described as a "barbaric attack".